Shoe-last.



A. R; ANDERSON. SHOE LAST. APPLICATION msusnnzo. 191s.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

.I STATE PA @FFTC.

SHOE-LAST.

Application filed September 20, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW R. ANDER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Arlington, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoe lasts and is designed more particularly as an improvement on the last disclosed in my Patent No. 1,163,630, issued December 14, 1915.

It is one aim of the present invention to provide a last which will be exceptionally durable and not liable to become damaged or broken while in use and subjected to pressure or impacts.

It is another aim of the invention to pro-- vide in a last of this type embodying relatively movable toe and heel sections, a novel form of locking device for drawing and binding the sections together when so relatively positioned as to adapt the last for use during the lasting operation.

It has been found that in the use of a last of the general type illustrated in the present drawings, the toe and heel sections being formed from wood, are liable to contract or expand, or through pressure and impact their contacting faces are liable to become worn or beaten down so that ordinary locking devices employed for holding the sections in the relative position they are to assume while the last is in use, will not snugly and tightly hold the sections together, and it is, therefore, an aim of the present invention to provide locking devices for the sections which will be operable to firmly draw the sections together and hold them against relative play.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the last embodying the present invention, the locking device being shown partly in side elevation and partly in section and the parts thereof being illustrated in unlocked position.

Fig. 2 is a similar'view illustrating the parts of the locking device in-locked posi tion.

Fig. 3 is a group perspective view of the elements comprising the locking device.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view in detail through the heel section of the last and that portion of the locking device housed therein.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. '7, 1917.

Serial No. 121,226.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the toe section of the last and the numeral 2 the heel section, the latter being provided with the usual thimble 8 adapting the last as a whole for application to the ordinary last supporting standard. The toe and heel sections of the last are provided respectively with oblique or inclined faces 4 and 5 which, when the sections are assembled, abut in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it being understood that the sections may be relatively moved while their said faces are in mutual contact and that the last as a whole may in this manner be shortened to permit of the ready removal of the shoe therefrom.

As before stated, means is provided for locking the sections when brought into proper alinement for the use of the last and this means includes a locking plate 6 which is fitted into a recess 7 formed in the face 4 of the toe section of the last and is secured in place by means of transverse pins 8 which are fitted through the said section of the last and through the said plate. The plate has a portion 9 which projects beyond the said face 4 of the toe section and this projecting portion is substantially vertically disposed in the working position of the last and terminates short of the upper and under facesof the said section. The said portion is further formed with a slot which is indicated by the numeral 10 and a pin 11 is fitted through the heel section of the last and extends through the said slot, the projecting portion of the plate being slidably re ceived within a recess 12 formed in the face 5 of the said heel section. In this manner the sections .1' and 2 are connected so as to prevent complete separation and yet the sections may be relatively moved a distance limited only by the movement of the pin 11 in the slot 10. Thus when the pin 11 is in position in the upper end of the slot 10, which slot is parallel to the faces 4 and 5 of the last sections, the sections 1 and 2 will be properly alined so as to form the complete last but when it is desired to remove the shoe from the last the toe section 1 may be moved obliquely upwardly or the heel section 2 may be moved obliquely downwardly so as to shorten the last as a whole and thus permit of the more ready removal of the shoe therefrom.

The heel section 2 of the last is formed with a bore 13 the axis ofwhich is located at right angles to the plane of the face 5 and that end of the said bore which is next adj acent to said face of the heel section is intersected by the recess 12 in which the pro-- jecting portion 9 of the locking plate 6 is received, and for a purpose to be presently explained the said projecting portion of the plate is formed with a recess indicated by the numeral 14, the said recess opening through the outer edge of the said projecting portion of the plate and extending inwardly from the said edge to a point substantially coincident with the face At of the toe section 1 of the last. The side walls of the said recess are under cut to provide shoulders which are indicated by the numeral 15, these shoulders being parallel to the said face 4 and being suitably spaced from the inner end wall of the said recess. Mounted within the outer end of the bore 13 is a thimble 16, the outer end of which is preferably struck down or riveted as indicated by the numeral 17 and embedded within the under face of the heel section of the last, the said thimble being? in this manner fixed within the said bore. The numeral 18 indicates a locking post which is cylindrical and is provided with a reduced cylindrical portion 19 and beyond the said portion with a flattened head or bit 20. The said locking post has its reduced portion 19 rotatably fitted within the inner end of the thimble 16 and the said portion of the post is provided with a stud 21 which projects into a slot 22 formed ciroumferentially in the wall of the thimble 16. It will be understood that any suitable type of key or wrench may be applied to the head or bit 20 for the purpose of rotating the locking post and that the rotative movement of this post is limited by the engagement of the stud 21 in the ends of the slot 22. It will also be understood that the engagement of the said stud in the slot serves as a means for holding the locking post assembled with the thimble 16. At its end opposite its reduced end the locking post is provided with a head 23 having the under sides of its por tions at the opposite sides of a diametrical line of cam formation,as indicated by the numeral 24. On the said line the head and also the said end of the post are formed with a slot indicated by the numeral 25, this slot being of a width slightly greater than the thickness of the projecting portion 9 of the locking plate 6. Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the head 22 is received within the inner end of the recess 14 with the cam faces opposing the shoulders 15 and that when the locking post is in position with the walls of the slot 25 flush with the walls of the recess 12 in the heel section 2, the heel and toe sections may be relatively moved without interference on the part of the said locking post, the projecting portion of the locking plate, in such movement of the sections, passing freely through the slot 25. However, when the locking post is rotated through the instrumentality of a key or wrench the cam faces 21 will ride against the shoulders 15 and at the same time the slot 25 will be brought out of alinement with the recess 12. Inasmuch as the distance between the side walls of the recess 1% is substantially the same as the diameter of the locking post 18 when the slot 25 is brought out of alinement with the said recess 12, the side walls of the recess 14- will engage the locking post at diametrically opposite points and movement of the locking plate within the recess 12 will be prevented and consequently the sections 1 and 2 will be held against movement with relation to each other. It will be understood also that as the cam faces 24: ride against the shoulders 15 the locking plate will be drawn in the direction of the bottom wall of the recess 12 or, in other words, toward the heel section 2 of the last and consequently the toe and heel sections will be drawn together so that their faces 4: and 5 will snugly contact each other and as a consequence the sections will be held against relative play. Of course, if the sections 1 and 2 expand or contract or if their faces 1 and 5 become worn or broken down through long use of the last, the sections may still be firmly and securely locked together inasmuch as the cam faces 21 may be caused to ride a greater 100 or less distance over the shoulders 15 by rotating the locking post a corresponding degree.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a last, a tongue section, a heel section, the said sections having contacting faces, a locking plate carried by one of the sections and projecting slidably into the other section, the plate being formed 110 with a recess, a thimble fixed within the last-mentioned section and having a slot eX- tcnding part-way V therearound, V a locking post rotatably mounted within the last-mentioned section and having a locking head for 115 locking engagement in said recess and pro vided with a transverse slot designed in one position of rotation of the locking post to permit movement of the locking plate slidably through the said slot, the said locking 120 post having a reduced portion rotatably fitting within the thimble, and a pin projecting from the reduced portion of the locking post and working in the slot in the said thimble, the engagement in the pins in the 125 ends of the slot limiting the rotative movement of the locking post.

2. In a last, a toe section, a heel section, the said sections having contacting oblique faces, a locking plate carried by one of the 130 sections and projecting slidably into the other section and being formed with a slot parallel to the plane of the said faces, a pin fitted into the last mentioned section and extending through the said slot, the plate being formed adjacent one end of the slot with a recess the side walls of which are under out to provide shoulders, and a locking post rotatably mounted in the last mentioned section and arranged when the sections are in registration, to seat within the recess in the said locking plate, the said locking post having a slot arranged when the post is 1'0- tated to one position to register with the said plate and thereby permit of passage of the plate past the post, the looking post having a head and the under side of the head being of cam formation at opposite sides of the said slot for cooperation with the said shoulders.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ANDREW R. ANDERSON. [L. s.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

